It has been reported by the Financial Times that Adidas is expressing interest in selling the pairs of shoes produced with Kanye West but have hit a snag. For every pair it sells a 15% royalty fee will have to be paid to the Yeezy designer. According to the Times, there is currently over $500 million worth of shoes to be sold.
The shoes were created under the Yeezy x Adidas collaboration. While the brands are no longer working together due to Kanye West's anti-semitic comments, a clause was included in the contract enabling Adidas to continue to market and sell the designs without Kanye's permission and without the Yeezy name.
When news of the breakdown started circulating Adidas suffered a drop in its stock price. It's safe to say that working with the star was very beneficial for the company for many years, bringing with it a huge uptick in popularity among consumers. During the partnership, Adidas was bringing in over a $1 billion annually.
If Adidas does decide to sell the shoes will be named the SPLY-350. It will be interesting too see whether the same level of demand can be maintained without the backing of the Yeezy brand.
Some die hard Kanye fans have voiced their refusal to buy them under the Adidas branding while others pointed out how dependent the company's sales were on the Yeezy name.
There is no word on whether Kanye will be releasing any new Yeezy collections in the future.
Cover Image: Adidas